Once again, it’s Monsoon Season in Phoenix, Arizona, and everything outside is covered in dust. The outdoor furniture, the patio, the grill, and the grill cover that is lying on the ground next to the grill (don’t ask me why it wasn’t on top of the grill—that would make too much sense). Dust, dust everywhere. The pool is an interesting shade of greenish-brown, and even though the Monsoon is a wonder to behold as it crosses the desert, a great billowing cloud heading directly toward my very tidy backyard, I know it’s truly a scary event for motorists and wildlife. There’s nothing fun about getting caught in a Monsoon. Lightning, rain, wind. Never mind the rapidly diminishing visibility. It’s a scenario that leaves one feeling much like the Peanuts character, Pigpen. You remember Pigpen. The little boy surrounded by a perpetual cloud of dust. Was he originally from Phoenix, Arizona? Well, maybe not. But Charles Schulz must have spent at least one summer out here.
The Backyard is a Mess
We have wonderful people (a gardener and poolman) who come every two weeks to help maintain our backyard. Still, Mother Nature has other plans. Storms seem to always hit within a day of the crew leaving. That’s 24 lovely hours of a pristine backyard. Seriously. You could eat off the floor (though I’d never recommend doing so since I’m a germaphobe and it’s disgusting). But soon enough, the dust is back. Our cleanup crew long gone. Dirt and grime everywhere. And off we go. Jumping into a dirty pool to make sure the little man (that’s what I call the pool-cleaning rover that circles the bottom) is not clogged. Once in the pool, we swim around with the filter in our hands to get the rest of the junk out. Trust me, the last place I want to be is standing around in a dirty pool. Ugh. And thanks to the Pine tree that abuts our property, the cleanup is twice as hard. Lucky us. Needles everywhere. Pinecones everywhere. Dirt, well, I’ve said it before. Everywhere!
Not the Roof!
Roofs are affected too. In a hot, dry climate like Phoenix, roofs magically reveal leaks that would never show up without rain. One year, our guest bedroom looked like a reverse fountain, water gushing from above. So this year, we panicked as soon as we spotted a minor buckle in our family room ceiling. One of us (I refuse to name the guilty party) hopped on Amazon and ordered a kiddie pool just in case we had a repeat performance of our own local Niagara Falls. It’ll be interesting to see what future purchases Amazon suggests for our very senior household based on that kiddie pool. Baby shampoo? Diapers? Formula? If it’s anything like Amazon’s other wild suggestions, it should be a hoot.
And Now for A Little Something Extra
Talking about Amazon (I know—that was a very clumsy transition), hopefully by now you’re aware of my latest novel, Friends for A Season. I have to say, it’s doing nicely. Early in the release, it made the Amazon Best Seller list. Kirkus Reviews gave it a “Get it!” thumbs up. Readers’ Favorite gave it a resounding positive review. So the excitement continues. And just in case you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, here’s a 4-chapter sneak peek. Find out what all the excitement is about. I think you’ll love it. And until we next meet, have a great July!
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